You may have noticed those immortal words when browsing through our ABOUT US page, although the phrase is more like this:

+ CONCISIONEM STYLO, ACCURATIUS CORDE, IUDICARI VITA +

Since our inception, these words have helped build the foundations for creating The Eye of Faith, and we never forgot them along the way.

Wise words from an icon in his own right, Victor Hugo (and I’m not too sure if he would be one for musicals ) . . . but none the less, his “concision in style, precision in thought, and decision in life”, have made him and his work relevant to this very day!

It’s quite wild how the past comes and goes, and is brought back to life again. Inspiration finds it’s way through the cracks of your mind to infiltrate your thoughts and create something special. This comes into play every time you make your way into your own wardrobe, for example. You stare at your clothes and an idea might come to your mind, and thus a new look, and a new you is born!

While our motto CONCISIONEM STYLO, ACCURATIUS CORDE, IUDICARI VITA (it just sounds so F***ing good in Latin) has carried us far the past year, most mysterious 2014, we have a few new thoughts for the year ahead, and some new virtues we want to inherit and inspire for 2015.

+KNOWLEDGE+

+KNOWLEDGE+ has always been an important piece of the puzzle here at The Eye, and for our frequent followers and visitors, you have come to expect in our approach an appreciation for history and all it’s secrets and quirks. We love to expose the {PAST} and examine where it fits into the {PRESENT} and hopefully, using our age defying wisdom, we can summarize a likely {FUTURE}.

Much like the alchemists and sorcerers of the past, the gaining and collecting of knowledge, every little bit no matter how esoteric, is a vital aspect of one’s true power, for when the time comes and all you are left to is you and you alone, you can count on yourself to follow through! Whether we’re talking life or fashion, no one is ever going to blame you for knowing too much.

We hope to continue in this vein, and bring you more and more vintage memories and musings that can both inspire and inform.

+INTEGRITY+

Since we began creating The Eye of Faith, we have been told a million and one things we should be doing instead. Everyone and their mother has had an opinion on our vision, without even asking what that vision may be!

We came into this game knowing full well who we were, and what we intended to accomplish. You don’t see another site quite like The Eye of Faith online, and that is a good thing. We are not trying to fall into place behind other fashion blogs (most of which look the same) who recycle content from site to site, but we wanted to be true innovators on the scene. This dedication to our vision, and always standing by it without changing it to appease naysayers is why we have ruled +INTEGRITY+ as a continuing priority here at The Eye of Faith.

The Eye of Faith was conceived as a portal to the past with many seemingly disparate items, articles, and stories coming together to create a well-rounded vision of how little things have changed, and how cool the past really was! This will continue NOT to change.

We will also not be picking any random articles of vintage clothing to add to the collection. Nothing is arbitrary, and each piece speaks to a certain story or style we are aiming to incorporate into the vision of the collection as a whole. Believe us, it’s not as easy as it sounds! It’s called +INTEGRITY+

+COURAGE+

The Spirit of Contemplation (1901) by Albert Toft {1862 – 1949}

+COURAGE+ has always been our silent leader when it came to creating The Eye of Faith. In fact, the whole idea of the The Eye of Faith encapsulates this virtue entirely.

The Eye of Faith is an age old symbol of +COURAGE+, and by the pure belief in matters at hand, and some proper insight, one may be given sight to see the way to get to one’s destiny. It’s a silent pathway, but a strong one, and without proper reinforcement your trail could just wither into the wind before your eyes and you would be left to find your way without the guidance of the fates. . .

The latter is a path many of choose in life, but since we are beings with a choice, we definitely chose to trust that The Eye of Faith will get us where we belong.

It took a lot of +COURAGE+ to stand up and tell those we know and love our belief in it, but it definitely seems to be paying off, with everyday us getting stronger and stronger.

+STRENGTH+

+STRENGTH+ comes in many forms. We need it constantly; in the physical sense, to keep up the hustle of getting our pieces from one place to another, and even more so in the emotional and spiritual sense, when it seems like you’ll never figure it all out.

Truth is, you’re never going to figure it all out, so best stop wasting your energy on that one . . .

Having +STRENGTH+ of mind is more powerful than any fist when it comes to life. Creeping deep down into oneself and building +STRENGTH+ from within is your best start. From there, everything else will seem like a cinch!

+IMAGINATION+

I once read somewhere that +IMAGINATION+ is more important than +KNOWLEDGE+

But I don’t think that is quite true, as much as learning to utilize both to one’s advantage can be the most powerful tool of all.

+IMAGINATION+ is quite literally the God-Sense in all of us. If you seek the divine in the everyday all you need do is open a pad of paper and sketch, or write for an hour about any old thing, even messing about your wardrobe will suffice. It is simply that beautiful magical moment where your brain has decided to create something new, and completely you.

You are a well of ideas and inspirations, and once you are able to tap into that spring, you might find your true self overflowing!

+ + +

So there you have it!

Our five newly anointed principles that can be used not just for your style sensibilities, but use them in life, as well. If you use them right, the transformations will happen almost immediately.

Feel free to adapt our Rules to fit your own life, or simply come up with a few of your own.

What means most to you? In the end, that’s all that matters. We know what we need to do to survive, and we’re going to definitely be making it happen! So hopefully some of our words of wisdom have rubbed off a bit, and we can all make things happen together!

Was feeling inspired today by Buddy Holly, the chic geek with the rims to match…

There isn’t a lot about this young talent’s style that hasn’t stopped beating, so that’s why we felt the tragic rock n’ roll icon deserved a second look.

After a rocking night at Clear Lake, Iowa’s iconic Surf Ballroom the young star hopped in a plane to take him to his next venue. Amidst a harsh February snow storm, the plane crashed killing everyone on board, but strangely in the quietest of circumstances. No one heard a peep. Legendary rock author Harry Hepcat wrote,

“The bodies lay in the blowing snow through the night…… February indeed made us shiver, but it was more than the cold of February that third day of the month in 1959. It was the shiver of a greater, sometimes senseless, reality invading our sheltered, partying, teenaged life of the 50s.”

His death came for everyone a shock, as this was one of the budding musical talents and stars of the times. Born Charles Hardin Holley in September 7, of 1939, Buddy would live to be only 22 years of age.

Inspired by rockabilly and the teen scene around him, Buddy Holly today is remembered as one of the most influential rock n’ roll musicians of all time (ranked lucky #13 on Rolling Stone’s list of 100 Greatest Artists), as well as one of history’s most stylish individuals.

We found this wicked video online of rare Supper 8mm footage of the rock n’ roll icon at his most natural, comfortable, fun, and stylish self.

The thing with these guys is they aren’t even trying…

They know all it takes is a little guts, and a hell of a lot of glory to achieve those heights. And indeed he achieved. Maybe more than he might have ever imagined.

He was loved by his own, but then highly feared by religious leaders who insisted his work immoral, and hated by the police for inciting frenzy and riots. At just 20 years old, he was already gently shifting the tuning dial for much of modern music…

His one-of-a-kind attitude towards his own style is a reflection of this rebellious honesty. Sometimes you just got to do it your way.

And if you ask Buddy Holly, he’d most definitely agree.

So stay true blue, whatever you do. Don’t worry what other people are saying. In the end, it’s your essence which matters most. It’s what is remembered. That is how over fifty years later we still remember Buddy Holly as one of the stars that still shine bright in our world today.

I am bohemian but at one time you would call me a hippie or a punk. I remain a bohemian whatever you call me. So maybe I am locked in the fifties. But I have never desired to grow up from my world as a child, which is when things are most clear and utopian. They are clear because you are at the center and you see all around you. When you get older you lose your sight …

Beautiful, provocative, sexual, sinister, simple, and sublime; this fascinating spirit still wanders through our world through her music, and inspiringly exciting life. Every single day, individuals conjure the notion of Nico in hopes of holding onto just a bit of that magic mystery this woman possessed.

nico & marcello mastroianni in ‘la dolce vita’ by federico fellini

Here’s a song for you called “Valley of the Kings” that just had to go up on here. It’s moody and majestic and brings me to a stylishly solemn place; perfect to reminisce the majesty that was this Queen. Her voice soars, and there’s no denying some good organ action.

Born in Cologne, Germany, her entourage included the likes of Andy Warhol, Federico Fellini, Brian Jones, and of course, The Velvet Underground, for which her voice and one-of-a-kind beauty served as a solid platform for the now iconic bohemian band.

I’ve only uploaded a few pictures on here because there’s quite a few great ones in the video below. So please enjoy, and celebrate the legacy of this soulful siren.

I would say the time has not yet come. I rebel against the present, whenever it is, because I have not seen any change, other than oppositions grow stronger.

-Nico.

+

Just keep on dreaming . . .

+

Don’t forget to Like us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter
+
+
+++{theEye}
+++
+

So, I’m sure you’ve gathered we love vintage photographs. We love them for the mystery contained within them, and all the precious memories storied behind their glossy surfaces. We love the people, and their intricate personalities that still shine through even without knowing them.

You get a sense of them and their world by just what they are wearing. You know they chose it, and you can’t help but marvel at the standards of style in the past, most of which keep inching their way back into the forefront of contemporary fashion and style.

We often turn to the photographs and snapshots we’ve collected to give us inspiration for the many clothes we have gathered to make our collection. Whether or not these silent stories are known or not, is of little consequence, but even just to imagine and invoke them in the different pieces seems to give it a special power.

We decided to pair just a few of our finds from the {SHOP} to see what we could conjure!

Undeniable. Always beautiful, Lanier Smith always conjures memories as if they were happening before your eyes….this anecdote of Marilyn Monroe, the spell of Hollywood, and the death of our idols simply caught {theEye}.

When Clark Gable, my mothers childhood idol died in 1961 I saw my mother cry for the first time…and I didn’t understand why. A year later I understood.

(little me)

Early on the Sunday Morning of August 5 1962 I was sitting at the breakfast table eating a bowl of Trix. With Motion Picture magazine open before me, I was reading all about the adventures of Liz and Dick in Rome. That summer I was so engrossed in the incredible drama and getting a real education at twelve all about morals and Hollywood, and how mean the ladies on my block could be about a divorcee. Liz and my Mother were the most famous divorced women that anyone on my block knew of. Between them they kept the hens of Orchid Street clucking and pecking for hours. Suddenly in a crackly transistor radio second Shelly Fabares’ Johnny Angel was cut off by the announcer. “Actress Marilyn Monroe was…

This will be the first ever Halloween event happening at the site, which boasts an impressive haunted history. Visitors of the old school have cited strange feelings and occurrences in the building which was rebuilt in 1909 after a fire burnt down the original school in 1888.

There are over 30+ exhibiting artists and over six musical performances scheduled for thisone-day only event .

GHOST HOLE IV takes place on Saturday October 27th from 2pm to midnight. Rain or shine.

12$ tickets on sale now at Soundscapes, 572 College St. All proceeds from event go to funding participating artists and supporting local
not-for-profit arts organizations.

{The rebuilt School House at Gibraltar Point on Toronto Island}

We will be there, and if you have are in town, love the unknown, and have a taste for great art you will bet here too.

These rooms are specifically designed for communication with the spirit realm through the use of mirrors. This technique of seeking mirrored surfaces to open portals to other dimensions has been used since the Ancients.

Artists have also been revered in the past as gifts from the Gods for their supernatural talent, and what better use of this psychic tendency than to help the invocation of the lost wandering souls holding on to the memories had within the school’s walls.

It lies within the devils we conjure daily, or the devils we wish to control. Deep in the heart of man, it’s waiting. There is an eternal balance of good and bad. There is a light inside of ourselves, yearning to play with the demons that hide in the shadows.

Wether it be in breath or death, we want a reason to lose ourselves in the hands of the dark. Today we let Satan roll the dice. He’s out to play, and may not go away, but at least we know we’re alive.

“Beauty is mysterious as well as terrible. God and devil are fighting there, and the battlefield is the heart of man.”

I praticed making faces in the mirror and it would drive my mother crazy. She used to scare me by saying that I was going to see the devil if I kept looking in the mirror. That fascinated me even more, of course.Jim Carrey

I was not content to believe in a personal devil and serve him, in the ordinary sense of the word. I wanted to get hold of him personally and become his chief of staff.Aleister Crowley

CLOTHING & LIFESTYLE Blog: Explorations of the [past/present/future]

SHOP THE {SHOP} !!!

The men and women who inspire…Style Idols and Divinities are unique individuals with style beyond the things they wear, but also the way they lived. Delve into their unique stories accompanied by an expansive array of photos to muse over!

BLOG ARCHIVE

BLOG ARCHIVE

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

The Eye of Faith {Vintage} is a brand dedicated to integrating time traveled wisdom from the {past} with the {present} to help shape the {future}. It is an age old symbol of believing in oneself, and having faith in your dreams. No longer must we be lost. We are a burgeoning society dedicated to an alternative to the purchase of affordable fashion forward apparel, accessories, and home decor. We also provide design services and consultation, as well as costume and styling. At our core, we are a source of inspiration and musing.
Please enjoy your time here.
If you have any questions, please email the.eye.of.faith@gmail.com